Duralock UK has been awarded accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor for achieving excellence in health and safety in the workplace.

Alcumus SafeContractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises extremely rigorous standards in health and safety management amongst contractors. It is used by thousands of organisations in the UK from SMEs to FTSE 100 companies.

Duralock is principally involved in the PVC fencing sector, specialising in the Equine and Sports industries, with a £3 million turnover. Duralock’s most recent clients have included major players such as Ascot Racecourse, Epsom Downs Racecourse and the RFU.

The company’s application for SafeContractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business. SafeContractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to win new contracts, and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

“Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place. More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Duralock has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.” – Gemma Archibald, Director of Alcumus SafeContractor

Production & Installation Manager Jack Green, who was instrumental in ensuring Duralock worked towards the accreditation said: “We are thrilled to have been approved by the SafeContractor scheme. Safety is paramount in every stage of the production process and it makes sense that we take the same level of care when it comes to our installations. At Duralock, we strive to be at the forefront of new technologies and processes and feel that this accreditation can only add to our already excellent reputation.”

Sport is an integral part of every day life for the students of Ipswich School in Suffolk and keeping the grounds, which is home to some of the country’s sporting successes of the future, in first-class condition is no small job. But making that job easier is a new TYM T433 tractor.

The school has four superb sporting venues, including the new Ipswich School Sports Centre at Rushmere, as well as Eton Fives courts, squash courts and an indoor swimming pool on the main school site. With surfaces catering for rugby, boys’ and girls’ cricket, athletics, football, hockey, netball and tennis, head groundsman Martyn Cull says it’s a demanding job to keep the school ‘play-ready’, which is why a TYM T433 tractor was welcomed onto the grounds at the start of this year.

Chosen for its price and quality, Martyn says the TYM “impressed” in both areas: “We tried a variety of tractors and the T433 stood out from the rest because of its quality and ability to maintain and improve the school’s sport surfaces. It meets our needs perfectly and also happens to have a very comfortable cab size.”

As well as getting “a lot of tractor for your money”, Martyn says another factor in his decision to choose TYM was his relationship with TYM’s UK distributor Reesink Turfcare. “We know we can trust Reesink to deliver a great service; we’ve built a good relationship with our sales representative Danny Lake over the years. He understands the demands of the school and can advise on what will work best for the requirements we have.”

The tractor was primarily purchased to pull a Toro SR72 aerator across its many sites to relieve soil compaction and improve drainage, making turf healthier, helping it recover from compaction quicker and bringing it back into play faster. TYM is, says Reesink, the perfect choice when working alongside Toro equipment and the design of the SR72 makes life easy by allowing tine depth to be adjusted without changing the angle of entry. By using the hydraulic top link from the tractor while the machine is in use, the operator can apply the ideal tine position for every soil type and condition, without leaving their seat.

But with a range of features and attachments available, the T433 is so versatile it can be put to almost any task and Martyn and his five-strong groundskeeping team have found its optional attachments, such as the front loader and bucket, especially useful for moving vast quantities of soil and leaves. Having also opted for the snowplough attachment, Martyn says with this the TYM could “prove to be a real life-saver in the winter.”

The T433 is a middleweight, fuel-efficient compact tractor, which comes with a 43hp engine and boasts an impressive 1500kg lift capacity. While the tractor is economical to run, it doesn’t compromise on performance and that’s a good thing as it will be in use a lot over the coming months as the school prepares for various friendly competitions and two Suffolk county cricket matches this summer.

Ipswich School pupils feature regularly in county, regional and national sports finals, and sports scholarships are offered by the school to recognise sporting potential. The school is co-educational with just over 1000 pupils, aged from 3 to 18, and has been on the main Henley Road site in Ipswich since 1852. The school is proud of its passion for education, and for the opportunities it offers for pupils to develop their learning, both in the classroom and through an exciting range of co-curricular activities including music, drama and, of course, sport.